Steel strapping is widely used for packaging by many industries including: aluminium, brick, cotton, jute, man-made fibres and wool. Disposal of strap material used in such industries is a major materials handling problem in terms of the collection, storage and disposable of such strap material.
Strapping is presently disposed of by placing it in waste bins and the like. Used or waste strapping invariably occupies far more space than its own volume and it is difficult to compress without the use of special compacting equipment. It is also difficult and dangerous to handle due to its springy nature.